Position Available: REF Hungary and REF Representative Office in Serbia Seek a Scholarship Program Country Coordinator in Serbia

The Roma Education Fund’s (REF) mission and goal is to close the gap in educational outcomes between Roma and non-Roma. To achieve this goal, the organization supports policies and programs which ensure quality education for Roma through scholarships, grant making and advocacy activities.

The Roma Education Fund’s Scholarship Program (REF SP) offers scholarships for Roma students at the university level. Roma who are eligible for the scholarship are citizens or permanent residents of one of the Program countries and will/have been accepted at state-accredited universities in their home country or country of residence, pursuing their studies for Bachelor, Master or Doctorate degree.

REF SP consists of four scholarship schemes available on a yearly basis: Roma Memorial University Scholarship Program (RMUSP), Law and Humanities Program (LHP), Roma International Scholar Program (RISP), and Roma Health Scholarship Program (RHSP). The schemes are currently implemented in the following countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey, and Ukraine.

The Position

The job provides challenging and diverse tasks and a great opportunity to work with a dynamic team, working and learning at the international level, and possibilities to receive training in the country or/and in the REF head office, in Belgrade or Budapest.

The Country Coordinator for Serbia shall work in close cooperation with the assigned Program Officers of the Roma Education Fund -Scholarship Program. In its respective country, the Country Coordinator will assist with the management of the scholarship schemes including: overall implementation of the administrative and program-related tasks, program outreach, , preparation of reports and presentations, planning and executing initiatives, including orientation, special events, and interview process.

Furthermore, the Country Coordinator shall be responsible for the preparation and provision of support to the National Selection Board (NSB) evaluation process, selection meeting, and the arrangement of the personal interviews with the scholarship applicants. The Country Coordinator shall also attend and participate in the annual meeting of the REF SP Country Coordinators.

The Country Coordinator shall be responsible for performing the Eligibility Check of applications, as well as with maintaining and regularly updating as accurately as possible the information and data in the Scholarship Program’s Online Application System.

For the implementation of REF SP’s scholarship cycle, the Country Coordinator must ensure availability during the essential stages of the Program. The Country Coordinator shall liaise with the assigned Program Officers of the REF SP regarding such crucial periods, in advance.

Candidate Profile

Cooperation with REF SP in the Program’s planning process and with the implementation of the work plan in the Program country, which will include: program announcement, program outreach and information campaign, conferences and trainings, facilitating the processes of application, evaluation and selection in the Program country;

Assisting students with required clarifications and information in the process of completing and submitting their applications;

Systematically collecting information and evidence about the status of graduation of REF SP beneficiaries;

Managing and coordinating with REF SP the budget and expenses related to the country coordination activities and directing respective payments to the relevant Finance Department for processing;

Organizing conferences and trainings with scholarship beneficiaries, in accordance with the annual plan and guidelines of specific scholarship schemes;

Managing the implementation of REF SP complementary support components which provide the ongoing beneficiaries the opportunity to participate in activities designed to facilitate their academic and professional development (e.g. PDF; foreign language courses; internships; small scale project grants, etc.);

Providing assistance and support to REF SP for the development and implementation of its REF Alumni Network (guidelines and instructions will be communicated by REF HQ);

Continuous learning and performing regular checking, data collection of official and relevant information and sharing with REF SP regarding developments;

Of the legal and policy framework of the higher education and the academic environment in the respective Program country;

The existence of other scholarships schemes in the country (both state sponsored and private), student mobility schemes, possible donors and funding opportunities and assisting the Program in fundraising activities;

Please indicate in the e-mail subject line: "Serbia – Scholarship Program Country Coordinator." Also, kindly indicate at least two references (name, position, email, telephone and your affiliation with the referee) whom we may contact.

Please note that applications received after the deadline will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.